Hello all, Dave has released his laser cut 27" span repro of the original. He offers it in original and in lightweight. I have mine all framed up and almost ready to cover. Dave left out one frame part from the rudder but this was easily replaced. There are some minor discrepancies in the fit of the struts but I believe this is just the way Guillow made it. I used the Spektrum 7.4 V brick and an outrunner 180. Battery will load from the underside with a magnet retained access hatch. Upper cowl, which I separated and covered in 1/32 sheet balsa, is also to be magnet retained to allow full access to the engine compartment. Comes in handy after faceplants and if you have to adjust the thrust angles.

As always Dave replaces the vacuform parts with balsa, this is a survivability plus particularly re the cowl.

So I am looking at the wings and the seem a little fragile. I am wondering if I need to add a hardwood 1/16" top spar? These wings flex a lot. Dave calls this the lightweight - uses 1/16" x 3/16" instead of 1/8" x 3/16" spars. There are two soars for the upper wing but only one fir the lower. My experience with biplanes is that the lower wing is the one that gets whanged the hardest and most often. Your opinions?

Making up some details like vac form Easy Bilt pilots and guns, the US ones used a weird Marlin MG. It's a pure flying model I am not going nuts on details - I may even leave off the aft twin Lewis guns.

May cut the pilot and gunner down get the heads lower.

Can you suggest a paint that might stick to an orange plastic GWS EP Orange plastic prop? Maybe Testors enamel thinned with lacquer thinner.. or rustoleum out of a can?

Just about to put her together. Purists will note I did not do all the small stuff I could have to make it a more accurate US type "Liberty Plane." I used the Easy Bilt vacuform pilots, did the fleece collars with white glue sprinkled with balsa sawdust. The Lewis guns are the nice laser cut wooden receivers with plastic tubing for barrel and gas tube. No ring mount just a little bar with a couple of spikes in it to hold the guns. I can pinch the wire to remove before flight if I wish.

Thought you might like to see how I bungee my WW-1 planes' spreader bars.
You may also take note of the Moses magnet retained battery hatch. Wheels are from Williams Brothers... technically they are post WW-1 golden age but they look ok to me.

Here is the finished airplane. Father's Day the wind was gusting 10-15 mph, I have had my eye on a vacant lot with lots of nice weeds and I did a couple of short, low altitude flights of about 50 yards, enough to establish that it will fly. This is not the black 6 that found the Lost Battalion (as depicted in a famous painting of French troops trying to assist its dying aircrew) but it is from the same 50th Aero Squadron.

Took off into a 3-5 mph headwind and the plane curved to the right and looped in. The first time I chopped power and got away with it. The second time I tried to fly out of it....the right lower wing got torn away at the dihedral glue joints. Fairly easy repair. I think I might try a smaller prop, I was trying to use a scale proportion one. I have a curvy WW-1 style I might try. But it could be it's just too much torque.

I am actually thinking of fitting a smaller size prop. My 24" span Repro Guillow Storch flies well with the next size down prop. The DH is bigger at 27" and has a lot more drag but I think I might try that smaller one. I tried to find one that I thought was scale size and it's pretty long. It may have 3/8" of ground clearance... Might pay me to do that

Had a couple of test flights yesterday with 100 grains of nose weight, flew a bit, still stalling and had a hard landing. Apparently that ruined the Outrunner 180 so chalk up a $30 engine change. Knocked on undercart leg loose and a slight tear on underside tissue. I have added a further 50 grains of nose weight hopefully that will fix it.

Added a third 55 gr. .223 FMJ to the nose and in the engine change I lessened my down and right thrust. The plane flew very well nice and stable, landed gracefully. It was almost 100 feet up before I realized it was going well!

Horizon is treating me well on my destroyed Outrunner 180 and are sending me a new one gratis!

Added a third 55 gr. .223 FMJ to the nose and in the engine change I lessened my down and right thrust. The plane flew very well nice and stable, landed gracefully. It was almost 100 feet up before I realized it was going well!

Horizon is treating me well on my destroyed Outrunner 180 and are sending me a new one gratis!